Halloween, Autumn, and Thanksgiving Outdoor Decorating on a Budget

With the economy flat lining or falling, we all need some ideas on how to decorate for the holidays on a budget.

Autumn, Halloween, and Thanksgiving decorations are pretty easy to create yourself or find relatively cheeply, perhaps even free.

Here are some ideas we use for decorating our yard for the Autumn season.

Visit a local farm before harvest time and ask if you could have some of the cornstalks for your fall decorations. Some farmers are willing to cut a few stalks down for nothing, as long as they get to keep the ears, or for a small price if you want to keep the corn on the stalks.

While your at the local farm, ask about straw bales. You can usually purchase a bale of straw cheaper at the farm then if you go to a landscape or garden center.

Visit your local farmers market for pumpkins. They usually have better prices,and the pumpkins are fresher so they tend to last longer than the ones at the grocery store. Remember to save and dry some of the the pumpkin seeds from your jack-o-lantern to plant next year! Then you will not have to purchase any pumpkins the following year.

When you get home, bundle the cornstalks together and attach them to a post. Place the straw bales, or bale, in front of the stalks and add a pumpkin or two to the top and around the bale of straw.

You can also use gourds and indian corn, found at most farmers markets, for display on and around the straw bales.

What a quick and inexpensive Autumn decoration!

Revisiting the Thanksgiving Centerpiece

Photo courtesy of Better Homes & Gardens magazine

Today we want to revisit our Thanksgiving centerpiece post that was published yesterday because we found a few photos, from Better Homes & Gardens, to illustrate our comments regarding the candle arrangements using different height pillar candles.

As you can see from the photos, the arrangements are very simple and very elegant.

Photo courtesy of Better Homes & Gardens magazine

The Thanksgiving Centerpiece

If you are entertaining for Thanksgiving, you may have thought, "What kind of centerpiece should I use?"

After all, not everyone uses the turkey for a centerpiece!

Speaking of food themed centerpieces, why not use a basket, a cornucopia, or a nice bowl. Fill the basket with fruit, raw veggies, or colorful bread rolls arranged nicely, and you have a great centerpiece, which will function as part of the feast.

If you are looking for something non-edible for the center of your table, you can always use a nice fall themed floral arrangement, or a candle arrangement.

Candle arrangements can be very simple. Some candle arrangements that make a classy, and easy, centerpiece are ones that create a cluster of different sized pillar candles in the center of the table arranged with the largest in the center, working outward to the smallest. Another simple candle arrangement that looks great is placing taper candles or votive candles in a single line down the center of your table. Add a table runner to the taper candle arrangement to compliment its linear style.

Perhaps you want to use a floral centerpiece. If so, you can always purchase a centerpiece at C S Flowers, or you can create your own using fresh or silk flowers. A single bloom in a pretty vase can compliment your feast without distracting from the main attraction.

A more complex floral arrangement could also compliment your feast, just be sure to purchase one that does not overcrowd your table. Nothing is more distracting than an arrangement that is too big for the table.

As with any type of decorating, Thanksgiving centerpieces can be very simple, complex, elegant, or fun. Whatever your style is, enjoy adding a centerpiece to your festivities.